Deities installed in the Temple
The Triple Temple Complex
The Richmond Hindu temple is in fact
three temples in one,
for it has three deities with their own respective main altars ("moola sthaanas")
and individual towers ("vimaanas") visible from the outside. The temple was originally conceived to be built as
a Siva-Vishnu temple with two main altars,
one for Sri Muruga, and the other for
Sri Venkateshwara. Since it is always customary to have a Lord Ganesa's altar first
so as to get the temple project moving forward smoothly, the icon of Lord Ganesa was
the first one to arrive. Once Lord Ganesa was installed and consecrated in a semi-permanent
housing, services of worships and poojas were put in place from the very first day.
It was semi-permanent, for, the permanent construction seemed far away and beyond reach.
In fact for a few years in the beginning, the temple only had Lord Ganesa in its precincts.
Many visitors used to refer the temple as "Sri Ganesa temple" for that reason.
Later Mother Durga was installed. Over a period of time, before the rest of the temple
project got under way, devotees became extremely attached to Lord Ganesa. When the
construction for the permanent phase of the temple started, Lord Ganesa moved to a
prominent place in the middle with a separate "moola sthaana" fulfilling the wishes of all
the devotees. The permanent and final housing of the temple as it stands today has
Lord Muruga to the right of Lord Ganesa and to the left is Lord Venkateswara.
The three Temple sections are described below, with brief descriptions of
individual deities therein.
Lord Ganesa section Lord Muruga section
Lord Venkateswara section
Lord Ganesa Section
Main Sanctum: Lord Ganesa
Vimana (Tower): Yes
Dwaja Sthambam (Flagpole): Yes
Sri Ganesa
The
main deity in the temple is Lord Varasiddhi Vinayagar, meaning
one who bestows boons on his devotees. While at the beginning, the
altar was installed as an "auxillary" altar to the Murugan
temple, by popular demand and participation by the devotees, the altar
has also been recognized as a 'Moola Sthana' or main altar with
its own 'Kodi Kambam' or Flagpole and 'Brahmaotsava' or
Annual Festival. Hence the temple is often referred to as the Ganesa
Temple of Toronto. Lord Ganesa, the remover of obstacles, is immensely
popular amongst devotees, and is worshipped with reverence.
In Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesa is the first son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. By worshipping Ganesa, a Hindu seeks Divine support for achieving success in one's endeavors in the physical world and for attaining moksha thereafter. Since success in all religious acts as well as worldly affairs is the goal of humans, Hindus (as well as Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains) worship Ganesa to seek His blessings before undertaking such activities. For this reason, Ganesa is worshipped at the commencements of all religious functions and ceremonies.
The main festival at this altar is the Annual Festival in May-June, conducted for 15 days, ending on Vaisaki Visakam day.
Lord Muruga Section
Main Sanctum: Lord Muruga
Vimana (Tower): Yes
Dwaja Sthambam (Flagpole): Yes
Other Sancta:
Valli & Devasena, Siva, Parvathi, Narataja, Chandikeswarar, Bhiravar,
Skandachanda Moorthi, Durga, Navagrahas
Sri Muruga
The
main deity in the temple is Lord Muruga, also known as Subramanya,
Karthikeya or Aarumuga, is the second son of Lord Siva, and is
installed in one of the 'moolasthaanas'. The vighraha or the idol, is
made of blue granite, and it so happens that our Muruga idol is the tallest
Muruga idol in the world! The idol is named "Siva Subramamaniya"
based on the unique design of the 'Moorthy". The Brahmotsava or the
Annual Festival is celebrated for 15 days ending on Aani (Tamil month)
Utharam day in June.
Sri Siva
Lord Siva,
one of the Hindu Trinity, is worshipped in the form of 'Linga' to signify
the philosophy of God being 'Formless' or beyond any form attributed
to Him. The Linga installed in the temple has a very interesting and
inspiring background. It is not a man-made idol. It was picked up in the
holy waters of Ganges near Kasi, India (also called Banares) by His Holiness Sri Paramacharya
of Kanchi Kamakotipeetam and was kept in the puja altar. He has gracefully
given this beautiful Linga with golden 'rekhas' to our temple. The deity is
named as "Chandra Mouleeswarar". Sivaraathri is the major festival
celebrated at this altar.
Sri Parvathi
The consort of Lord Siva, Goddess Parvathi is installed in a beautiful altar
to the right of Lord Siva. The idol is a cute granite one with the divine
grace and beauty personified. She is apty called "Thiripura Sundari"
meaning "the most beautiful damsel in all the three worlds". The
special festival for this altar is the 21-day "Kethara Gowri Vratham"
in November.
Sri Nataraja
Lord Siva is
often depicted as "King of Dance" or Nataraja, providing life to
the universe. Following the traditions of calling Nataraja as golden-bodied
or 'Ponnar Meniyan' in Tamil, dancing in a golden Sabha or
theatre ("Ponnambalam in Tamil) with gold-plated roof in the most
famous Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram (in Tamil Nadu, India), our Nataraja
altar also has extensive gold leaf work on the roof or 'Vimana". The
beautiful metallic Moorthy and His consort, Sivakami, are gold
plated, and the main vighraha sculptured on the back wall is covered with
gold leaf, making this also a Golden Temple.The form of Nataraja is
considered to be the masterpiece in iconography. The special festival at
this altar is the 10-day Thiruvembavai Festival in December. Arudhra Dharshan
is celebrated with great fervor in this temple.
Sri Durga
Goddess Durga
is depicted in this Temple as "Mahishasura Mardhini", the
victorious virtue over the bull-headed ignorance and evil. The Goddess has a
standing pose on a buffalo head, in the form of Vishnu- Durga, the most
peaceful and gracious form of Durga Devi. Main festival for Durga is during
'Nava Raathri' Festival in October.
Sri Valli and Sri Devasena
Muruga has two consorts named Valli and Devasena. Valli signifies the "Earth" or the "Kriya Sakthi" while Devayani signifies "heavens" or "Ichcha Sakthi". The male identity of Muruga symbolizes matter ("Sivam") while the female identities signify the "Static or Mental" and "Dynamic or Physical" energies. The unique feature of this temple is the location of these two altars - in most temples in India or Sri Lanka, they will either be next to His side in the same of altar or in separate altars, by His side. In this temple, Lord Muruga is in a West-facing altar (very rare), with the two Devis located in separate altars in front of Murugan altar, facing East , which is proper as per Agama Sastra, but very unique among Murugan Temples.
Navagrahas
It is a strong belief amongst Hindus that the Nava Grahas or the nine
planets, consisting of Sun, Moon, Sevvai (Angaraka or Mars), Bhuda
(Mercury), Guru (Viyalan or Jupitar), Sukkran (Venus) or Sani (Saturn) and
two other celestial features known as Raghu and Kethu - have considerable
influence on the life of mankind and are worshipped at all Siva temples.
Special pujas are done to Sani in the Tamil month of Purattaasi, to ward off
ill effects.
Sri Bhairavar (Kala Bhairavar)
One of the manifestations of Lord Siva is known as 'Bhairavar' and in this
form, He is the patron deity of Kasi. In Tamil tradition, he is considered
the guardian of the village or Temple and is a tradition to leave the keys
to the Temple every night at His feet after closing the Temple.
Sri Chandikeswarar
This Saint known for his extreme devotion to Lord Siva, became the Chief of the Siva Ghanas who guard the abode of Siva. There are many beliefs and traditions about rituals in this altar - one is to clap hands gently in front of the Saint to attract His attention to mark your attendance; another belief is to show Him that your hands are 'clean' and that you are not taking anything from the Temple!
Skandachanda Moorthi
This Moorthi has the same function as Chandikeswara, but installed in the Moolasthana of Lord Muruga, with similar function for Lord Muruga.
Lord Venkateswara Section
Main Sanctum: Lord Venkateswara
Vimana (Tower): Yes
Dwaja Sthambam (Flagpole): Yes
Other Sancta:
Lakshmi, Aandaal, Sudharshana, Ram Parivaar, Alwars with Ramanujar, Garuda
Sri Venkateswara (Vishnu)
Lord
Venkateswara is present in a majestic and beautiful form, standing well over
8 feet tall, showering His blessings on all devotees. This altar is also a
moolasthanam and as such, the Annual Brahmothsava Festival is celebrated
with Flag hoisting and Chariot Festival, for 9 days, in the Tamil month of
Purattaasi (Sept- Oct). One of the most beautiful service for Balaji is
Poolangi Seva, when He is completely covered with beautiful flowers. The
very elaborate Abhishekam every Saturday morning to the accompaniment of
Vedic chanting by devotees is something that needs to be experienced.
Sri Maha Lakshmi (Sri Devi)
Known
affectionately as "Thayaar" or MOTHER, Goddess Lakshimi
is the Goddess of Wealth, and as the divine consort of Lord Vishnu, She is
the one who helps us to His grace to have a fully protected and prosperous
life on earth and the heavens. Special services are held during Varalaskhmi
puja, Dhana puja at the time of Divali and Navaraathri at this altar.
Thirukkalyanam is also held several times during the year.
Sri Aandaal (Bhudevi)
Mother Earth in
the form of Bhudevi is considered as the earthly consort of Vishnu and is
depicted as Aandaal and as in incarnation in Srivilliputthur in Tamil Nadu.
The famous Thiruppavai - the collection of 30 beautiful Tamil verses - is
composed by Her and is usually chanted during the Tamil month of Maargazhi
(Dec-Jan). There are seven Moorthis of Sakthi or Amman in this Temple,
depicting different aspects of Universal Mother and Aandaal Moorthi is one
of the most beautiful forms in style and decoration. Click
here to read in TAMIL, Sri Aandal's great composition -
Thiruppaaavai.
Ram Parivar
As per the
Hindu traditions and later day interpretations of the epics, Lord Rama
is considered as the Sixth incarnation of Vishnu and is considered as an
ideal example for mankind to follow. The Ram Parivar, meaning Rama's family
- Sri Ram, Sri Lakshman, Godess Sita and Sri Hanuman - is usually worshiped
in a separate altar. In this Temple, Sri Rama's altar is in a specially
sculpted mandir with its own prakara. The main festival is during the Rama
Navami Festival (March-April).
Sri Sudharsanar
The Wheel in the hands of Vishnu is considered a separate deity named
Sudharsana (Chakrathalwar) and is installed and worshiped in a separate
altar. One can compare the worship of Sudharsana in a Vishnu Temple to that
of the Navagrahas in a Siva Temple. Both the granite and the metallic
moorthis of Sri Sudharsana are intricately and beautifully made and depicted
as a Wheel with thousand flames ready to destroy evil and protect the
devotees. The special function at this altar is the 'Sudharsana Homa' - a
Homam conducted elaborately to protect the devotees from all evil and bestow
a safe and prosperous life.
Garuda
The King of birds - Garuda or Eagle - is usually installed as the vehicle or
Vahana of Vishnu, in a small altar directly across Vishnu"s altar and
worshiped regularly.
Azhwars
The Alwars were a distinctive group of Tamil Vaishnava saints who delved deeply
into the Divine through intense devotion or Bhakti, and played a great role in
revitalizing the Bhakti cult of Sri Vishnu. The twelve Alwars composed nearly
4000 Tamil verses (or Paasurams in Tamil) called Naalaayira Divya Prabandam,
which are considered the Tamil-equivalent of Vedas. The Alwars are
Poigai Alwar,
Boodhat Alwar,
Pey Alwar,
Thirumazhisai Alwar,
Namm Alwar,
Madhurakavi Alwar,
Peri Azhawar,
Sri Aandal
(the greatest female Saint ever),
Kulashaekara Alwar,
Thondaradippodi Alwar,
ThiruppaanaAlwar and
Thirumangai Alwar. Included
amongst their company is Sri Ramanuja. The temple crossed yet another milestone
when the Alwars were installed and consecrated in April 2002 in a three-day ceremony,
and became
the first temple in the American sub continent to do so.